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Association of torque teno virus (TTV) and torque teno mini virus (TTMV) with liver disease among patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus

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Abstract

Torque teno virus (TTV) and torque teno mini virus (TTMV) have been potentially related to liver diseases. The aim of the study was to quantify TTV and TTMV in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients to study the relationship between the TTV and TTMV viral loads and the severity of liver disease. We carried out a cross-sectional study in 245 patients coinfected with HIV and HCV (HIV/HCV-group), 114 patients monoinfected with HIV (HIV-group), and 100 healthy blood donors (Control-group). Plasma samples were tested for TTV and TTMV by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The prevalences of TTV and TTMV infections in the HIV/HCV-group and the HIV-group were significantly higher than the Control-group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, TTV and TTMV coinfections were found in 92.2 % (226/245) in the HIV/HCV-group, 84.2 % (96/114) in the HIV-group, and 63 % (63/100 %) in the Control-group (p ≤ 0.05). HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with HIV viral load ≥50 copies/mL and patients with severe activity grade had the highest viral loads of TTV and TTMV (p ≤ 0.05). HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with high TTV load (>2.78 log copies/μL) had increased odds of having advanced fibrosis or severe necroinflammatory activity grade in the liver biopsy. Moreover, HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with high TTMV load (>1.88 log copies/μL) had decreased odds of having no/minimal fibrosis and no/mild activity grade, and increased odds of having a high fibrosis progression rate. In conclusion, TTV and TTMV might play a role in the development of liver disease in immunodeficiency patients, such as the patients coinfected with HIV and HCV.

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Acknowledgments

Additional contributions

We acknowledge the patients in this study for their participation and the Centro de Transfusión of Comunidad de Madrid for the healthy donor blood samples provided.

Potential conflicts of interest

None for all authors.

Funding/support

This work has been supported by grants from the “Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISC-III)” (PI08/0738 and PI11/00245) to S.R.; from ISC-III (ref. ISCIII-RETIC RD06/006, PI08/0928) and the “Fundación para la Investigación y la Prevención del Sida en España” (FIPSE) (ref. 36443/03; ref. 361020/10) to J.B.; from ISC-III (INTRASALUD; RD09/0076/00103), Red RIS RD06-0006-0035, FIPSE (240800/09, 300509), and Fundación Caja Navarra and Comunidad de Madrid (S-SAL-0159-2006) to M.A.M.F. M.G.-F. and M.G.-A. are supported by a grant of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CM09/00031 and CM08/00101, respectively). J.B. is supported by a grant from the “Programa de Intensificación de la Actividad Investigadora en el SNS” (I3SNS).

Writing assistance: Dr. Nick Weber provided writing assistance for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HIV and Hepatitis co-infection Unit, National Centre of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain

    M. García-Álvarez, M. Guzmán-Fulgencio, D. Micheloud & S. Resino

  2. Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón”, Madrid, Spain

    J. Berenguer, J. Cosín, P. Miralles & J. C. López

  3. Pathology Department, Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón”, Madrid, Spain

    E. Álvarez

  4. Microbiology Department, Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón”, Madrid, Spain

    P. Catalán

  5. Rotavirus Laboratory, National Centre of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain

    J. Ma Rodríguez

  6. Internal Medicine Department, Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón”, Madrid, Spain

    D. Micheloud

  7. Molecular Immunobiology Laboratory, Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón”, Madrid, Spain

    Ma Á. Muñoz-Fernández

  8. Human Retrovirology Unit HGUGM-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Ma Á. Muñoz-Fernández

  9. Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Campus Majadahonda), Carretera Majadahonda-Pozuelo, Km 2.2, 28220, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain

    S. Resino

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  1. M. García-Álvarez
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  2. J. Berenguer
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  3. E. Álvarez
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  9. J. Ma Rodríguez
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García-Álvarez, M., Berenguer, J., Álvarez, E. et al. Association of torque teno virus (TTV) and torque teno mini virus (TTMV) with liver disease among patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 32, 289–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1744-1

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